Tricks of the Trade

"Let’s put together a book!" It was 1989. The Midwifery Today magazine
staff had spent more than two years producing the Tricks of the Trade column,
and editor in chief Jan Tritten had a vision: gather all the tricks into a book
that would tuck easily into a midwife’s birth basket. So we did, and the first
Midwifery Today book was on the loose. Over the following several years, the idea
of gleaning from the pages of Midwifery Today magazine blossomed into several
more books, full of woman-wisdom and experience. In their pages, midwives teach
each other about becoming a midwife and what it’s like to be one; they tender
their best techniques; they talk about homebirth; they share their lives and countless
births. It’s like sitting around a table with your best friends or staying up
all night, talking up a storm. Get in on the circle—you’re always welcome at the
party!

Table of Contents

Organizing Your Practice

Prenatal

Educating Parents

Labor (First Stage)

Birth (Second Stage)

After the Birth (Third Stage)

Postpartum

For the Babies

Features

Managing Postpartum Hemorrhage by Daphne Singingtree

Pitfalls in Prescribing Alternative Remedies by Alison Parra Bastien

Tear Prevention by Jan Tritten

Protecting the Upper Tissues by Cathryn Feral

Inducing Naturally by Alison Osborn

Nutrition for Two, Preventing Cesarean by Anne Frye

The Formulary

Forward

We owe the creation of Midwifery Today’s Tricks of the Trade to the many talented
practitioners who took time out of their busy birthing lives to write down these
hints for all of us. Most of these tricks have appeared in one form or another
in Midwifery Today over six years of publishing. We continue to share tricks
regularly in our magazine. We hope as you read and use these you will consider
submitting some tips from your practice—whether you work in homebirth, birth
centers or a hospital.

When I was a practicing midwife I considered my knowledge to be an invisible
bag of tricks. I preferred to empower the birthing mom by letting her birth with
minimal interference and simple encouragement. When labor become prolonged or
situations occurred, however, I was so glad to have a huge bag of tricks at my
disposal. Many situations never turned into crises because a simple technique
was successful.

I do want to warn you, however, to be very selective and careful in your practice.
Only you can decide if a trick is logical and helpful. These tips are shared with
the best intentions. But please remember, any technique we apply to a pregnant
and birthing mom and her baby has the potential to be harmful or even dangerous.
So please, be careful and scrutinize every choice you make. If it isn’t necessary,
don’t do it. Trust in the mom and baby and their abilities and use these suggestions
only as necessary.

— Jan

This book is dedicated to all the midwives past, present and future. Let’s keep
the flame of with-woman care burning bright.